is the highest of the
Three Mountains of Dewa
The refer to the three sacred mountains of Mount Haguro, Mount Gassan and Mount Yudono, which are clustered together in the ancient province of Dewa (modern-day Yamagata Prefecture). Holy to the Japanese Shinto religion and especially the moun ...
in the ancient province of
Dewa (modern-day
Yamagata prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Yamagata Prefecture has a population of 1,079,950 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 9,325 km² (3,600 sq mi). Yamagata Prefecture borders Akita Prefecture to the nor ...
). The
Gassan Shrine
Gassan Shrine (月山神社, ''Gassan jinja'') is a Shinto shrine on Mount Gassan in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. It was formerly a national shrine of the first rank (国幣大社, ''kokuhei taisha'') in the Modern system of ranked Shinto Shrine ...
stands at the mountain's summit, above sea level.
It has a long hike from its trailhead and usually requires about 4-5 hours to hike it. Visitors should be aware of the weather and not try to hike it during windy or days with heavy rain. Also note that the trail is not paved and in some parts requires use of hands to clear certain parts of the trail.
Due to heavy winter
snowfall, the mountain and shrine are inaccessible for long periods of the year; however, skiing is possible on the mountain from April to mid-summer.
The mountain is interesting in that it contains elements of both
shield volcanoes
A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a warrior's shield lying on the ground. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid (low viscosity) lava, which travels farther and forms thinner flows than the more vi ...
as well as
stratovolcanoes
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and peri ...
, although it is classified as a stratovolcano.
[以前は アスピーテに分類されていたが、現在では 成層火山が侵食や爆発によりなだらかになったものであるという説が有力である。詳しくは ノート及び 火山#地形による分類を参照。]
Gallery
File:Gassan Volcano Relief Map, SRTM-1.jpg, Relief Map
File:Gassan.JPG, Viewed from the South
File:Gassan Ridge 2006A.jpg, Ridge
File:Gassan Ridge 2006B.jpg, Ridge
File:Gassan View From the Peak 2006.jpg, Viewed from the Peak
File:Gassan jinja.JPG, Gassan Shrine at the summit
See also
*
List of volcanoes in Japan
This is a list of active and extinct volcanoes in Japan. An Orange background indicates a volcano considered active by the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Hokkaido
Honshū
Izu Islands
Ogasawara Archipelago
The Ogasawara Archipelag ...
*
List of mountains in Japan
The following is a list of the mountains and hills of Japan, ordered by height.
Mountains over 1000 meters
Mountains under 1000 meters
As the generally accepted definition of a mountain (versus a hill) is 1000 m of height and 500 m of pro ...
References
External links
*
Mount Gassan Travel: (Japanese)Mt. Gassan Page: (English)Mount Gassan Travel: (English)
Gassan
is a 1979 Japanese film directed by Tetsutaro Murano. It was Japan's submission to the 52nd Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee.
Cast
* Hisashi Igawa as Iwazo
* Yūko Katagir ...
Shinto shrines in Yamagata Prefecture
Gassan
is a 1979 Japanese film directed by Tetsutaro Murano. It was Japan's submission to the 52nd Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee.
Cast
* Hisashi Igawa as Iwazo
* Yūko Katagir ...
Stratovolcanoes of Japan
Pleistocene stratovolcanoes
{{Yamagata-geo-stub